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Thankful for…

This year I’m thankful for being able to bear baby # 2! While it is my second experience, I am still dazzled by the miraculous and transformative process of pregnancy. I’m thankful for the fruit of my first experience that enchants me every minute of everyday. My only wish is that the baby turns-out healthy and never experiences real pain.

Whether having kids is a selfless or a selfish act has been hotly debated and perhaps more so lately as there has been a growing wave of people choosing not to have kids at all, arguing that such a choice is no more selfish than the decision to have kids. Despite all the sacrifice parents do for their kids, the argument is that having a child should still be considered a selfish act meant to bring to life a creature that will provide you a lot of happiness or even as a self-love act since a child is an extension of his maker.

Let’s be honest here, they do have a point and I do think that we should not judge people that make this choice. Having a kid should be a choice. Whether we like it or not, human beings act for the most part out of pure self-interest, therefore, I wouldn’t contest the underlying idea that there is major selfish element in deciding to have a child, however is that necessarily a bad thing? I think there should be a distinction between harmful selfishness (the kind that overreaches to harm others and usually is the type that creates conflict and leads on a greater scale to crises, wars and inequalities) and harmless selfishness (the kind that reflects self-interested behavior but does not negatively affect the greater good).

My heart goes to those deprived from this gift of childbearing whether it’s because of health reasons, social or financial circumstances or any other impediment but I am also thankful for the scientific and medical advances in the fertility and reproductive field that give some people the hope of fulfilling this dream.

Enjoy this upcoming Thanksgiving (the prep, the dinner and the therapeutic power of giving thanks!)